The present invention relates generally to a biocidal composition for use in industrial process streams and more particularly to an enzymatic catalyzed biocide system for pulp and paper mill process streams.
Microorganisms, particularly bacteria, are known to contaminate industrial process waters and may create slime deposits of biological origin. This is particularly true in the case of pulp and paper mill process streams where slime deposits formed by microorganisms are a common occurrence. Such deposits give rise to many problems including fouling or plugging of pipes and filters, and of greater significance, breakouts of spots and the like in the paper produced with consequent loss of production and work stoppages for clean up. These and other problems produced by slime deposits have resulted in the extensive utilization of biocides to prevent the growth of microorganisms in pulp and paper process waters.
Materials which have heretofore enjoyed widespread use in such applications include chlorine and a wide variety of proprietary chemical biocides. Other physical and chemical methods for slime control including gamma radiation, filtration and ozonation have been successfully used, but only in small scale applications, because such methods are costly and difficult to scale up to commercial size industrial processes. The use of chlorination to prevent the growth of microorganisms is also limited both by its cost effectiveness and the fact that chlorine is an active chemical that may react in solution before its full biocidal function is achieved. Meanwhile, other biocides suffer from odor problems and various hazards with respect to storage, use and handling, and the fact that most biocides are selective in their activity. As a consequence, the use of known biocidal systems involves careful selection and deployment, and the continuous or frequent addition to a plurality of points in the process stream.